What is
WHMIS?WHMIS stands
for Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System. WHMIS was designed to ensure the safety
of employers and employees while at the workplace. In particular, the
system was designed to keep workers and employers informed of the dangers
and hazards associated with the chemicals and substances that they may
come into contact with while on the job.

The key
elements of WHMIS and WHMIS training are labeling of containers, the
provision of material safety data sheets (MSDSs) and worker education/training
programs.

What Acts or
Regulations are applicable to WHMIS?WHMIS legislation
is incorporated into various Acts and Regulations:

WHMIS is a
national program and the basic requirements are the same
across Canada. However, individual provinces and
territories may have also introduced minor changes while integrating WHMIS
with their occupational health and safety regulatory regime.Click here to see the provincial contacts
for WHMIS.

Who needs WHMIS
training?WHMIS training
is legally required for all employees who are exposed or likely to be
exposed to a hazardous material or controlled product at the workplace.

Who is responsible for WHMIS training and WHMIS
education?The onus is on
the employer to ensure that his or her staff is properly trained. The
responsibility to ensure workers are trained and the manner in which
training is conducted rests with the employer. YOW Canada’s WHMIS
courses are one method of training and, in most cases, additional
site-specific training is required.

Does
WHMIS training apply to your workplace?
If a product has the usual WHMIS symbols or labels, WHMIS applies and
employers have a legal responsibility to deliver WHMIS training. However,
people are often confused when analyzing their cleaning products because
they discover hazard symbols that are not typical WHMIS symbols. For
example:

Because these Consumer
Products are generally used for personal, family and household purposes,
they are partially exempt from WHMIS. This means the supplier does not
need to label the product according to the regular WHMIS symbols/labels,
nor is a MSDS required as a condition of sale. However, keep in
mind:
When Consumer Products are brought into a workplace environment, WHMIS
training IS a legal requirement and needs to be delivered to all employees
who use (or might come into contact with) these products.

How often do I need WHMIS
training?Every company
must review their WHMIS program at least annually or more
frequently if required by a change in work conditions or available hazard
information.
Reviewing your program ensures that your employees are still adequately
trained and knowledgeable.

To
determine if your employees are adequately trained, they should be able to
properly answer the following four questions:

1)
Where can I get hazard information?
2) What are the hazards of the controlled product?
3) How am I protected from those hazards?
4) What do I do in case of an emergency?

If you
find that your employees are not sufficiently trained, they should be
retrained.

What needs to be included in a WHMIS training program?WHMIS training
must include both general and site-specific training.
General training covers such things as the regulations, labels, MSDSs,
controlled products, symbols etc. YOW's WHMIS Online Course is a general
course.

Site-specific training covers things
like how to work safely with the controlled products used in YOUR
workplace, where you keep the personal protective equipment and MSDSs and
training for specific
work procedures.

How is compliance to WHMIS
monitored?Compliance
activities relating to WHMIS supplier labeling and MSDS requirements are
conducted by Health Canada and the provincial, territorial and federal
agencies responsible for occupational health and safety (OHS).

The
Minister of Health Canada designates individuals nominated by these OHS
agencies as inspectors and analysts for the purposes of conducting the
inspection program in support of the WHMIS requirements of the HPA. The
OHS agencies also conduct the compliance program for the WHMIS employer
requirements established under their respective legislation.

If I change
employers/jobs, do I have to retrain?The onus is on
the employer to ensure that his or her staff is properly trained for the
job. Because you can never be too sure of previous training, it's
recommended that new employees take a WHMIS course, including site-specific training. The responsibility to ensure that all workers
are properly trained for the workplace, and the manner in which training
is conducted, rests with the employer.

Can I take this course as an individual?Absolutely! If
you are taking this course as an individual, simply enter your name down
in the area for "Company Name".

I am self-employed.
Who signs my certificate?If you are self-employed, that
means you are the employer. You would sign your own certificate.

What does the "YOW" in YOW
Canada stand for?YOW
Canada’s offices are located in Ottawa, Ontario and Y-O-W are the
international call letters for the Ottawa Airport. Plus, we think it’s a
catchy name that’s easy to remember.

Do YOW's WHMIS courses meet regulatory requirements?YOW Canada’s WHMIS
courses meet general WHMIS training requirements set out by Health Canada
and HRSDC. The
responsibility to ensure workers are trained, and the manner in which
training is conducted, always rests with the employer, and, in most cases,
additional site-specific training is required.

This course
was developed in accordance with federal legislation and based on “Model [WHMIS] OSH Regulations” prepared by the Occupational Health and Safety Committee of the Canadian
Association of Administrators of Labour Legislation. It
focuses on requirements set out under the Canada Occupational Health &
Safety Act, the Hazardous Products Act (HPA) and the Controlled Products
Regulations (CPR) and meets general WHMIS training requirements.

Can I take one of YOW's WHMIS courses and then train my own
workers in WHMIS?YOW Canada’s
WHMIS courses
are not intended or designed for trainers and we do not recommend that
they be used to train a trainer. In order to reap the full benefits of
these courses, we recommend that each
trainee complete a WHMIS course themselves. This also ensures that each
employee receives a WHMIS certificate.

How do I PURCHASE a
WHMIS course?Purchases can be done online,
by phone at
1-866-688-2845 or by fax.You may
pre-purchase courses to be used at a later date. There are no expiry dates
for pre-purchased courses.

What other courses does
YOW Canada offer?
Please visit our
product menu for all of our
course offerings.

WHMIS Video Training:

How does the WHMIS video training work?
The WHMIS Video
Training Package consists of two parts: a WHMIS Video and WHMIS Training
Packages for each trainee:

Trainees
follow the video using reference materials
included in their Training Package (see below).
Trainees complete a quiz after every chapter. After
successful completion, a WHMIS
certificate (supplied) can be signed and issued.

With each video, you receive an Instructor's Package
including answer key, tracking sheet and a WHMIS
Poster.

WHMIS
Training Packages: Each
employee who requires training must have their own
Training Package. Trainees follow along the video
using the reference materials included in the Training
Package.

Each
package includes:

WHMIS Quiz

Example Label
and MSDS

Pocket Guide

WHMIS
Certificate (wallet & wall-mount)

You can
get more information or purchase a WHMIS Video Training Package by
clicking here.

WHMIS Online Training:

How does the WHMIS online course work?
YOW Canada’s
WHMIS online course works in a 3 step process:

Step 1: Register - All trainees
must be registered for the course. Registration can be done online,
by phone at
1-866-688-2845 or by fax.Once
registered, login and password information is emailed to the supervisor.

Step 2: Take the Course -Trainees can
log in at any time to start their training and can log in and
out as many times as necessary to complete their WHMIS training. The
course is about 1.5 hours in length. It includes audio,
video, animation and interactive exercises. It makes training fun and
educational!

Step 3: Print your WHMIS Certificate -Once
completed, WHMIS wallet and wall-mount certificates are emailed to the
supervisor. The certificates are
printable and accompanied by a Performance Record that
displays how the trainee performed throughout the course (scores for each
chapter etc.).

Is the course available in
French?Yes, our
WHMIS online course is available in French. Once a trainee logs into
the course, he will choose which language he wants to take the training
in. Learn more about our
WHMIS in French Online
Course (SIMDUT).

How long does it take to complete the online
course?The average
trainee can complete this WHMIS online course in 1 to 1.5 hours. If you have
a dial-up internet connection, it will take longer to download
the course.

What will I receive when I have completed my
training?Once you
complete the course, a pdf document will be available for you to download
and print. This document is also emailed to the Account Supervisor.
This document will include your Performance Record and certificate.
The certificate includes your name,
your employer's name and the date you certified.

How will I receive my WHMIS training
certificate?The WHMIS
certificate will be automatically available for printing once you complete
the course. It will also be emailed to the Account Supervisor. If you are self-employed, the certificate is sent to
your email address directly.

How long is my certificate
valid for?YOW Canada
recommends that you complete WHMIS training on an annual basis. The
certificate will have a "Next Recommended Training Date" of one year past
your certification date.

Can I take this course as a refresher?Yes, this
course was designed to suit the needs of both first time trainees and
refresher training.

Can I log into the course more than once?Yes, you can
log in and out of the course as many times as necessary in order to
complete your training. When you log back into the course, you will
be brought back to your last visited page. You have up to 1 year to
complete your course.

Do I have to complete the
course in one session?No, you
may log in and out as many times as necessary to complete your course.
Your work will be saved.

I am
the supervisor. How can I monitor my employee's
progress?As a
supervisor, you have access to a Course Administration
site where
you can monitor and track each employee's progress. You can see quiz scores, view
certificates, activate accounts and more. You can also
re-register any employee's who's certificates have expired. You also receive a copy of
all training certificates by email as soon as the employee has completed
the course.

Why should I choose online training versus
classroom training?Online
training with YOW Canada is fast, easy and effective. Some of the benefits
of online training include:

Available
24/7, on any computer with an internet connection.

Complete tracking
capabilities through
Course Administration
to ensure employees have certified and to monitor their progress.

No need to
remove multiple employees from their work to train simultaneously.

Employers can
rest assured that each employee has received the same subject
matter.

Save on traveling costs.

Certificates
are emailed immediately following successful completion of the
course.

YOW Canada’s
online training is dynamic and includes audio, video, animation and
interactive exercises. It makes training fun and educational!

I have dial-up
internet. Can I still take the course?Yes. The
course is available for dial-up users. Please be aware, however,
that it may take more time to download. If you'd like to see a demo to test the speed, please click
here to
view a demo of this course.

What
are the technical requirements for taking this WHMIS
online course?